Princess Gwaelin (Princess Laura in the original Japanese) is an NPC character in the original Dragon Quest. She is the daughter of the king of Tantegel and has been kidnapped by the Dragonlord. During the game, she can be rescued by The Hero as a sidequest. This makes her the one and only sidequest present in the original Dragon Quest.

She also appears in Dragon Quest Monsters (as Lady Laura). Defeating the dragon guarding her in that game allows Terry to recruit the dragon into his party.

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The Hero may rescue Gwaelin during his quest to defeat the Dragonlord, though this is not a requirement to complete the game. She is located inside the Swamp Cave south of Kol which connects to the southeastern continent. In order to rescue Gwaelin, the Hero must fight and defeat a ferocious Green Dragon that guards her (rather lavish) cell. This monster is not visible on the dungeon map screen, but rather is trigger when the Hero steps on a specific tile (similar to the Golem which guards Mercado). If the Dragonlord is defeated prior to the Princess' rescue, she will still be in her cell and able to be rescued, though the Green Dragon will not be present.

After rescuing the princess, the Hero carries her back to her father at Tantegel castle. A sprite showing the hero carrying Gwaelin is used at this time. In the remakes of the game, the Dragonlord has a special reaction if she is being carried when the Hero confronts him. In it, he laughs heartily at the absurdity, and 'thanks' the Hero for his kindness in bringing the Princess to him.

At Tantegel Castle, Gwaelin gives the Hero an item called the 'Princess' Pledge' which tells the Hero his exact distance from Tantegel on the map of Alefgard at the time it is used. It is useful in finding the Emblem of Erdrick later in the game.

While at the castle, her highness occupies the empty space next to her father in the throne room. When spoken to in the NES version, she asks the Hero if he loves her. Answering yes triggers the short love music to play.

If the Hero rescued Gwaelin during the game, then she will be present during the ending and join the protagonist on his journey to establish his own kingdom. The Hero will again carry the lass away as he leaves Alefgard after defeating the Dragonlord. If the Hero is already carrying her when the ending begins, the result is much the same, though a single line is different.